New Delhi: Hackers backed by the Russian government stole highly classified US cyber secrets in 2015 from the National Security Agency after a contractor put information on his home computer, two newspapers reported on Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the theft included information on penetrating foreign computer networks and protecting against cyber-attacks and is likely to be viewed as one of the most significant security breaches to date.
The Washington Post also reported that the employee had worked at the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations unit for elite hackers before he was fired in 2015.
The NSA declined to comment, citing agency policy never to comment on our affiliates or personnel issues.
If confirmed, the hack would mark the latest in a series of breaches of classified data from the secretive intelligence agency, including the 2013 leaks of data on classified US surveillance programs by contractor Edward Snowden.
Last month, the US government issued a directive and made a decision to stop using software from Kaspersky Lab.
The US Department of Homeland Security said it was concerned about ties between company officials and the Russian intelligence services.
Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly denied that it has ties to the Kremlin. It later issued a statement which stated, “Given that Kaspersky Lab doesn’t have inappropriate ties with any government, the company is disappointed with the decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but also is grateful for the opportunity to provide additional information to the agency in order to confirm that these allegations are completely unfounded. No credible evidence has been presented publicly by anyone or any organization as the accusations are based on false allegations and inaccurate assumptions, including claims about the impact of Russian regulations and policies on the company. Kaspersky Lab provides appropriate products and services to governments around the world to protect those organizations from cyberthreats, but it does not have unethical ties or affiliations with any government, including Russia.”
There have been concerns about Kaspersky for some time in America, but those suspicions escalated when it was determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election using cyber means.
